Total Vein Treatment Center Syracuse

Syracuse and Rochester Area Vein Treatment Services

For many years, a vein surgery procedure called ligation & stripping was the treatment of choice for Rochester and Syracuse patients with varicose veins. Although there are cases where this treatment is still preferable, in more recent years, a host of newer options have emerged, many of which are minimally invasive, cause little if any discomfort and hold the added advantage of allowing patients to return quickly to a normal activity level.

Dr. David Locastro is board-certified both in general surgery and phlebology, the specialty related to vein disorders. He is up-to-date on the newest as well as the more traditional approaches to vein treatment and will talk to you about which treatment is most likely to help for your individual situation.

Duplex ultrasound

Regardless of your specific vein problems, your treatment plan is likely to begin with duplex ultrasound, a procedure in which your physician uses ultrasound technology to obtain a photographic image of the veins not visible from the surface of the skin. The image provides information about the location, pathway, blood flow and extent of damage to your veins.

EVLT

EVLT, or endovenous laser therapy, is considered by many to be the “gold standard” in treatment of varicose veins, as it is minimally invasive, highly effective and features a very quick recovery time. Done right in your physician’s office, EVLT involves the application of a local anesthetic to your skin. A thin laser fiber is then inserted into the skin to direct energy to the varicose vein. The vein reacts by shrinking and then collapsing. Your body will reabsorb this damaged vein while redirecting blood flow automatically to healthier veins.

Ambulatory phlebectomy

Ambulatory phlebectomy is often recommended for Rochester/Syracuse vein patients whose varicose veins are large and close to the surface of the skin. In this procedure, a local anesthesia is administered and then the surgeon makes an incision of about 1 mm in the skin through which diseased veins can be extracted. Patients generally wear compression bandages for two weeks following the procedure to facilitate healing.

Sclerotherapy

For the tiny and usually symptom-free veins on the face, head, chest and legs known as spider veins, sclerotherapy is frequently an effective treatment plan. In sclerotherapy, a chemical “sclerosant” in injected through a tiny needle into the vein. The solution causes the damaged vein to corrode, and the body reabsorbs it while blood flow is redirected to healthy veins. Sclerotherapy is minimally invasive, with very little if any pain and bruising.

Ultrasound-Guided Sclerotherapy

Ultrasound-Guided Sclerotherapy is used when the technique of sclerotherapy is appropriate but the veins are located too far below the surface of the skin to be easily seen. Ultrasound imaging helps your surgeon to locate the damaged veins through imaging, assuring proper placement of the sclerotherapy needle while also monitoring the injection of the sclerosant.

Venous Ulcers

Typically located around the ankles, venous ulcers are a fairly extreme manifestation of vein disease in which skin begins to break down, resulting in a painful and unsightly condition. In situations involving venous ulcers, compression bandages are usually recommended as a preliminary healing measure, followed by one of the usual treatments for varicose veins to prevent recurrence.

Are you a patient in Syracuse, Rochester, Utica, Auburn, the Fingerlakes Region, Cortland, Ithaca, Binghamton, Albany, Schenectady, or Troy who is frustrated by vein problems? If so, treatment is on the way. Contact us at Total Vein Treatment Center today to begin your road to better vein health.